Castle on a Cloud
by star.everlasting
Summary: Noctis hears a lullaby as he waits inside the Crystal.


I'M BACK!

Definitely had to take a short hiatus after finishing Nox Caelum (/sob), but I'm back now! Mostly still writing short stuff, trying to write the second arc of my FFXIII trilogy (if you're a XIII fan, you're definitely more than welcome to check the Into Chaos series out on my page), trying to write out another prompt for Caelus Aeternus, and trying to actually do more work at work instead of writing, but here we are.

As I'm getting through the XIII trilogy, I'm also in the process of planning another long fic for XV where it features Prompto as sort of the "main" character. Can't give too many details away, but I'm hoping I can really come up with something while planning for it to give it a good storyline so I can actually start writing it for y'all :) forewarning though, it WILL be a dark story, so if you can't read dark stuff...sorry :\

Anyway, this work was inspired by this post on tumblr: post/158876581649

If you're not familiar with the song, it's from Les Mis. All right -cracks knuckles- here we go.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own Final Fantasy XV

* * *

 _There is a castle on a cloud  
I like to go there in my sleep  
There is a lady all in white  
Holds me and sings a lullaby  
She's nice to see and soft to touch  
She says, "Noctis, I love you very much."_

The ethereal voice, singing the lullaby softly, faded away as he struggled in vain to open his eyes, feeling the burn of tears as they overflowed and dripped down his face, his hands unable to wipe them away.

* * *

Noctis did not remember much of the ten years spent inside the Crystal.

In a way, and definitely in hindsight, he supposed he was angry with the gods, with Bahamut for taking ten years of his life for him to spend in solitude, in meditation and reflection, all because he was…not ready. Ten years he could have been helping his friends, those that he loved, ten years he could have been fighting against the raging darkness, the spark of Oracle's Light he knew Luna left with him preserving the daylight, even it was just a little. It didn't matter that he didn't have many recollections of that time or that he didn't feel the passing of time within the Crystal; the fact that it happened made him angry, and if he had not understood in the end why it was necessary, he could have waged war against him.

But Noctis did understand. That made it all the worse.

Inside the Crystal, he had no sense of time, no mirror to look upon his own aging face. He had no one to speak to, no one to listen to, nothing but memories he could feel becoming blurrier and blurrier, but he couldn't give in; he fought and he fought and he raged to hold on to the faces of those he loved, holding on to his memories of his father opening his arms, sitting on the throne, memories of his brothers, of Ignis and Gladio and Prompto, growing up together, training together, journeying together. He clung to everything he could remember, using them as his anchor as he was swept away, current after current of loneliness and sleep. He held on to Iris' wide smile and her oversized, overstuffed moogles that she stitched together, held on to Cindy and Cid and Takka and the Hammerhead. He held on to Pryna and Umbra running together through sylleblossom fields, the two dogs barking happily as they played, held on to the blue of Luna's eyes, the gentle curve of a smile on her lips.

And then came the whisper- _and she is gone._

All his life, Noctis thought as he hugged his knees, eyes closed, suspended inside a sea of never-ending, ever-flowing blue, he had been surrounded by death, even from the very beginning.

His mother, Queen Aulea of Lucis died when he was just a baby.

So many, too many to even count, Glaives and Crownsguard and soldiers lost their lives during the war with Niflheim.

Those in Tenebrae who had died from the Niflheim ambush just because he and his father were there.

Queen Sylva of Tenebrae, Luna's mother.

All those who lost their lives when Insomnia fell.

His father, King Regis Lucis Caelum.

Jerod Hester, the Amicitias' butler and Talcott's grandfather.

Ravus Nox Fleuret, Prince of Tenebrae, former High Commander of Niflheim, who had kept his father's glaive safe for him until his last breath.

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Princess of Tenebrae, Oracle of Eos, his childhood friend and beloved fiancé.

How many more? How many more deaths?

One, he knew- his own demise seemed to cocoon him, suffocate him in its inevitability. If there was one thing he was certain of in all this time, it was that there was just one more sacrifice that needed to be made.

 _Many have sacrificed all for the King; so must the King sacrifice himself for all._

The Crystal had taken him dead in the heart of Niflheim. Had Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto made it out safely? Were they okay?

 _Would they be more tally marks, another cold statistic on the list of the dead?_ Another whisper came to him, and Noctis' eyes squeezed shut tighter, rocking himself as best he could, trying to find warmth in the bitter cold. The ocean inside the Crystal tugged and pulled at him, wrapped itself around him, holding him until he was ready to face his fate and the darkness. It's not fair, he wanted to yell. For any of them. It seemed almost futile, giving his life when his loved ones weren't there to live in the peaceful world after.

That was when the lullaby started, he thought later on. Again and again, it sang.

 _There is a castle on a cloud  
I like to go there in my sleep_

He saw flashes of images, felt the grass underneath his face where was lying, the distinct feeling of soft sylleblossom petals against his cheeks and tickling his nose.

 _Aren't any floors for me to sweep  
Not in my castle on a cloud_

A towering structure, right in the heart of a city surrounded by a Wall. Noctis knew he had been there, at the very top of the building, looking over the Wall toward the horizon.

 _There is a room that's full of toys  
There is only a boy and girl_

There was a room full of light, woods and waterfalls and flowers just outside the window. A boy in a wheelchair, dressed in black and a girl in a white ruffled dress, played together with two dogs in just the same colors.

 _Nobody shouts or talks too loud  
Not in my castle on a cloud_

Shrieks rang through the hallway, shrieks of laughter, drowned by the bubbling, giggling waterfalls outside. _Shhhh_ , the children whispered, holding their index fingers to their lips.

 _There is a lady all in white  
Holds me and sings a lullaby_

That same girl in the white ruffled dress became a beautiful woman in another white dress, an unearthly song spilling from her lips as a bright light surrounded her. He thought he could see her, coming towards him and putting a hand gently on his cheek.

 _She's nice to see and she's soft to touch  
She says, "Noctis, I love you very much."_

The vision focused a little more and he saw flashes of water, deep blueness that was all at once beautiful and horrifying; a sylleblossom floated closer toward him as the lady in white fell farther and farther away, his outstretched hands unable to reach her.

 _I know a place where no one's lost  
I know a place where no one dies_

There was a traffic circle in front of the very tall building, draped in red carpet. A black car appeared, the door opening to reveal a tall man, looking down at him with a smile and open arms.

 _Crying at all is not allowed  
Not in my castle on a cloud_

The singing stopped, and the coldness returned. It was different now, solid; Noctis slowly opened his eyes and blinked several times, finding himself in a stone room with a single entrance. Disoriented, he stood after a few moments, feeling the sturdy support of the ground before he walked out to a world of chaos, covered completely in darkness. A bark made him swivel his head to the side where Umbra, his faithful companion, waited. He squatted down and gently ran his hand through Umbra's fur, a small smile creeping on his face as he dog whined and pushed his head against his hand.

 _Hurry_ , he seemed to say. Noctis looked back at the towering stone wings of Angelgard.

 _There is a castle on a cloud…_


End file.
